Sometimes you walk into a shop and have no idea how deep the history actually is. The Racer Depån in Falköping looks like any modern, well-stocked bike shop — but behind the counter stand two people whose names are already in the history books of cycling.
Janne — from highway to Olympia Jan “Janne” Karlsson was born in 1966 in Falköping, and before he ever sold a bike, he competed for medals at the highest level. He won the bronze medal in the team time trial at the 1988 Olympics together with Anders Jarl, Michel Lafis and Björn Johansson, and also competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. During his career, he also won three Swedish Championship gold medals in time trials, several podium finishes in international time trials, and ended his active career in 1999 — the same year he and his wife Sofie opened Racer Depot.
Sofie — daughter of one of cycling's legends Sofie Fåglum Karlsson has a name that every Swedish cycling enthusiast will recognize. Her family is part of The Fåglum brothers (The Pettersson brothers), the four brothers from the Vårgårda area who became world champions in team time trial in 1967 and 1968 and won Olympic silver in the same year. One of them, Sture Pettersson, is the grandfather of Sofie and Janne's son Marcus Fåglum Karlsson — which makes Sofie the daughter of one of the most renowned families in Swedish cycling.
Two cycling families, one marriage, one shop.
The store — 25 years of forward movement The racing depot started in 1999, then in premises under the old Willys, and in 2008 Janne and Sofie moved to the current address on Lönnerbladsgatan. In November 2024 they doubled the space again — the plan was to be ready for the 25th anniversary in January 2025 — and the numbers speak for themselves: turnover most recently landed at around SEK 32 million, an increase of 13.9 percent, with a profit before tax of just over SEK 1.6 million.
Full circle — son Marcus And the story continues in the next generation. Marcus Fåglum Karlsson, Janne and Sofie's son, became a professional cyclist himself and competed from 2014 to 2017, including for Team Tre Berg–Bianchi from 2015 to 2017. Bianchi — the same brand that now fills the walls of his parents' shop. It's hard to find a finer circle than that.
More than a store The racing depot also arranges The Gravel Ride Race Depot, a fitness race around Falbygden whose proceeds go to Peter Fåglum's Youth Fund — a scholarship established in 2017 in connection with the Fåglum/Pettersson brothers celebrating 50 years since their first World Championship gold in team time trial in 1967, in memory of Peter Fåglum who passed away in 2012. The fund annually awards four scholarships of SEK 6,000 to young cyclists — two girls and two boys — not only for results, but for camaraderie, fighting spirit and creativity. In 2024, the race was run for the second time, with cycling profile Roberto Vacchi among the participants.
That says something about what kind of store this is: one that gives back to the very sport that once carried the family to Olympic and World Championship gold.
[Slideshow: 1–2, 4 commuter/e-bikes → 7, 9 racer/top models → 8, 10 gravel → 13 women's gravel]
Next time we'll take a closer look at the bikes themselves — function, feel, and who they suit. Stay tuned on Monday or Thursday.
A forward push from me, Maria